Pair HST Portraits wife Marquis De Bellevue Uniform F. Birotheau 19th century

Pair of oval oil on canvas portraits of the Marquis de Bellevue* (1854-1929) in cavalry second lieutenant's uniform, with the de Bellevue family coat of arms on the side, and of his wife née de Boutemont (1861-1922), painted by Ferdinand Birotheau** in 1881-82, in 19th century gilded stuccoed wood frames.
The paintings are in good condition. Signed F. Birotheau and dated 1882 for the woman and 1881 for the marquis.
Please note: dirt on the frames, wear and tear, see photos.
The Marquis de Bellevue is the great-grandson of Victoire de Lambilly, Countess de la Villirouët, considered the first lawyer in Brittany and France, who saved her husband by pleading his case during the French Revolution. The Comte de Bellevue is the author of "Une Femme Avocat Mémoires de la Comtesse de la Villirouët" (1902), which recounts these events and reproduces a painting by Victoire de Lambilly, which we are also offering for sale (along with the book).

The painting comes from the Breton de la Guerrande family, related to the de la Villirouët family by marriage. The de La Guerrande family, current owners of the châteaux de la Touraille and de Lémo, are descendants of Count Paul de la Villirouët (1829-1919), mayor of the commune of Augan (Morbihan) between 1871 and 1900. On the count's death, his possessions passed to his son-in-law Pierre Libault de la Chevasnerie, whose eldest daughter married René de la Guerrande comte des Hurlières (1891-1964).
* François Xavier Fournier, Marquis de Bellevüe (1854-1929).
The Marquis de Bellevüe was a local scholar and author of some fifty historical essays on the Ploërmel and Paimpont regions. He was born at Château de la Touraille in Augan on July 3, 1854, into a family of eight children from the marriage of his father Édouard-Jean Fournier to Aglaë Marie Pauline Victoire Mouësan de la Villirouët. He is therefore the great-grandson of Victoire de Lambilly, Comtesse de la Villirouët.
He entered the Saumur Cavalry School in 1874. He graduated top of his class in 1876. After a few years as a non-commissioned officer, he returned to the Saumur Cavalry School as a cadet, graduating as a second lieutenant in 1881. His first posting was to the 25th Dragoon, garrisoned in Nantes. However, he resigned on July 20, 1883, a month after his rich marriage 1 to Gabrielle Regnault de Boutemont, who lived at Château du Moulin-Roul in Soudan (Loire-Atlantique). He did not leave the army altogether, however, as two years later he became a reserve lieutenant in the Cavalry, and then a captain in 1887. He could now devote himself to his two passions, poetry and local history. He launched his political career in 1888 as a Soudan town councillor. In 1893, he was elected General Councillor for the Loire-Inférieure department in the Châteaubriant canton. He continued his political career as General Councillor for Loire-Inférieure (now Loire-Atlantique) until the 1925 election, in which he did not stand for re-election. He died on May 22, 1929 at Château de la Touraille in Augan.
** Ferdinand Birotheau (1819-1892)
was a French painter. He is best known for his portraits, notably of Rennes notables, now in the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rennes: Portrait de Jean-Baptiste Martenot, Portrait de Jules Jan, Portrait de Rallier du Baty, Portrait du chanoine Duver.
Some of these works are also in the Musée Municipal de La Roche-sur-Yon: Self-Portrait (1863), Portrait en pied de Napoléon. He is also the author of a Mise au Tombeau in the Saint-Louis church in La Roche-sur-Yon.
Artist highly rated on ArtPrice.
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Dimensions
Frame 95 cm x 82.5 cm
Oil 75 cm x 59.5 cm

Catalogue number: 900 738
All photos on :
www.antiques-delaval.com

Ref: LLVU9Y768L